PYMNTS

JULY 11, 2016

There’s another digital currency in town, and its name is YoCoin. The question is: Can YoCoin give bitcoin a run for its money? We’ll have to wait and see. But YoCoin is pitching itself as a “new cryptocurrency with mainstream appeal.” “Unlike most of the alternative cryptocurrencies, YoCoin is a decentralized, peer-to-peer digital currency based on the Scrypt mining algorithm, making it far more accessible than bitcoin is when it comes to mining.

Currencies 73

Currencies Planning Marketing 73

Boston Startup CFO

JULY 10, 2016

According to a report from Harvard Business School, as many as three out of four startups fail to succeed in the long term. To hold their own amongst established competitors, startups need strong leadership teams and effective business strategy. I recently spoke with Tridivesh Kidambi, newly appointed CFO of CallFire, a technology company that provides voice and text connectivity to businesses, to learn more about how a company determines it needs a CFO and what it takes to be the CFO of a start

Startups 52

Startups CFO Communication Financial Modeling 52

PYMNTS

JULY 21, 2016

Visa and PayPal today (July 21) announced a strategic partnership that will combine the power of the largest payments network in the world with the largest digital payments network in the world to give consumers more choice about how they pay when using their PayPal accounts. According to a release that was issued by PayPal announcing the deal, “the partnership puts PayPal and Visa on a new path with the companies working more collaboratively to accelerate the adoption of safe, reliable and conv

Accounting 60

Accounting Economics Sales Banking 60

PYMNTS

JULY 4, 2016

Abra , the bitcoin remittance app, has made its way to the U.S. — via the iPhone and Android app options. What that means is that Abra customers in the U.S. or the Philippines can send money to each other using the app’s digital wallet that works with their bank accounts. The company noted in its release that this is the first move in helping it expand globally.

Marketing 57

Marketing Currencies Banking Accounting 57

Speaker: Michael Veatch, Senior Director, Implementations & Ella Aguirre, Director of Solution Consulting

Embedding payments can be a transformative step for software companies looking to enhance their platform capabilities, boost customer satisfaction, and drive long-term growth. However, the success of payments hinges on a single thing: implementation. Drawing on real-world insights and experiences, payments implementation experts Michael Veatch and Ella Aguirre will explore actionable strategies that can lead to a transparent, friction-free launch and mitigate potential challenges like technical

Investments

PYMNTS

JULY 13, 2016

Amazon knows better than any retailer that sometimes a groundbreaking idea just needs to get its feet under itself before really taking off. It looks like that was the steady hand behind Prime Day’s start back in 2015 – and its phenomenal sophomore showing in 2016. Amazon released figures Wednesday (July 13) on its Prime Day sales, and the company is already calling it “the biggest day ever for Amazon.” Globally, orders were up 60 percent over Prime Day’s first iter

Sales 55

Sales Retail 55

PYMNTS

JULY 25, 2016

Will discount grocery stores like ALDI, Costco and Sam’s Club soon be facing some serious competition? Well, that’s what LogicLane , a new startup that offers discount wholesale groceries on its eCommerce marketplace, is certainly hoping. LogicLane recently opened its online marketplace to consumers and businesses after first beta testing it with an invitation-only period and can now connect customers to everything from a box of cereal to an entire pallet of cases of cereal boxes (the company is

Retail 54

Retail eCommerce Manufacturing Startups 54

PYMNTS

JULY 1, 2016

Singapore is on a mission to build up a Smart Nation by utilizing innovation and technology to create opportunities and strengthen communities. The country’s technology ecosystem is setting the foundation for good governance, infrastructure and increased capabilities, which makes it no surprise Singapore has gained attention for its tech initiatives.

Startups 53

Startups Foreign Exchange Technology Education 53

PYMNTS

JULY 14, 2016

Bitcoin may be a preferred method of payment for a slew of tech-savvy people, but it has yet to take off with the masses, or even micro-masses. iPayYou, the bitcoin wallet, is aiming to change that with a new service launched today (July 14). Dubbed Pay-by-Twitter, iPayYou is the first bitcoin wallet that enables Twitter’s 310 million monthly active users to make peer-to-peer payments over Twitter.

Accounting 51

Accounting Securities Banking Technology 51

PYMNTS

JULY 11, 2016

Big companies like PayPal have been dominating the digital payments world for many years. And then came Apple, along with the other tech companies, like Google and Samsung. And for years, banks have caught flack for not offering digital and mobile payments options that are up to snuff with what the tech giants have brought to market. Now, however, big banks are dusting off their old-fashioned ways and getting up to speed.

Banking 50

Banking Planning Marketing 50

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

Accounting

PYMNTS

JULY 11, 2016

Will the wonders of artificial intelligence ever cease? In the last decade or so, artificial intelligence has been increasing at a dramatic clip, and software developers and programmers have developed AIs that can do everything from beating a world class chess champion to diagnosing medical conditions to moving and stacking heavy objects on a factory floor.

Retail 49

Retail 49

PYMNTS

JULY 8, 2016

In this week’s edition of PYMNTS’ Weekly Tech Center Roundup , we find ourselves back in Europe, where Brexit is all anyone can talk about. But we are heading to France, where the country’s capital city is making a name for itself as a booming tech center. Before we jump into the post, here are a few quick facts about Paris and its tech scene: Paris has an estimated population of 2,241,346.

Startups 48

Startups Economics Communication Technology 48

PYMNTS

JULY 13, 2016

Move over millennials , there’s a new kid in town that is about to become nearer and dearer to retailers’ hearts: Gen Z. Gen-Z shoppers, defined as those between the age of 14 and 19, are about to become the most coveted demographic in all of retail, according to a study entitled “The Next Generation of Retail” by retail marketing firm Interactions.

Retail 48

Retail Securities Marketing 48

PYMNTS

JULY 27, 2016

Who isn’t familiar with rewards programs that incentivize consumers to become more eager c ustomers? But one company has devised a rewards program that aims to go even further. Gregory Simon, CEO of “The Internet of Loyalty” platform provider, Loyyal Corporation, recently checked in with Karen Webster to discuss the company’s work with the Dubai government on the Dubai points program — a tourism incentive program that is expected to roll out in August 2016.

Technology 47

Technology Investments Securities Sales 47

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

Accounting

PYMNTS

JULY 15, 2016

It looks like StubHub is getting an upgrade – care of parent company eBay’s latest acquisition. eBay has snatched up Ticket Utils , a firm that specializes in the software that manages ticket distribution to multiple services. That technology will now be folded into StubHub – though StubHub was already integrated into the system.

Currencies 47

Currencies Sales Retail Planning 47

PYMNTS

JULY 18, 2016

If you’re like most people, at some point over the weekend, you probably watched something on Netflix. Eighty-one million people consume more than 100 million hours of programming every day via this wildly popular app. I am one of those 81 million people who, this month, is hooked on the drama of the Rayburn family in “ Bloodline.” That Danny Rayburn is one bad dude.

Advertising 47

Advertising Leverage Entertainment Marketing 47

PYMNTS

JULY 12, 2016

For years, retailers have lamented the fact that mobile traffic so rarely translates in equal numbers to in-store traffic. An entire industry has even sprung up around leveraging digital engagement into visits to brick-and-mortar store fronts. Retailers spend millions — and would gladly spend millions more — if there was some sure-fire way to turn consumers’ phones into magnets that pull toward their stores.

Retail 47

Retail Leverage Numbers 47

PYMNTS

JULY 14, 2016

Your mother was right: You should always wear sunscreen. And it’s an axiom that the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) keeps repeating over and over again as a way to ward off skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. According to its website, the AAD says that one in every five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer in their lifetime.

Retail 47

Retail Sales Accounting Planning 47

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Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.

Reconciliations

PYMNTS

JULY 7, 2016

When the average person confronts broken bathroom tiles, they can be expected to go through something like the five stages of grief described by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The important part is that the average person gets to that last phase, acceptance, and resigns themselves to ordering new tiles and hoping for a better outcome.

Transportation 47

Transportation Accounting Technology Marketing 47

PYMNTS

JULY 14, 2016

Mastercard CIO Ed McLaughlin was often heard describing mastercard’s vision for commerce as one that would take it anywhere the consumer wanted to take it, including “to any connected device on the edge of the network.”. Today, we’re seeing that vision made reality. Network giant mastercard said on Thursday (July 14) that it is enhancing its digital payments service, masterpass, and making it available across a number of commerce channels and devices in an effort to bring true omnichannel shoppi

Banking 46

Banking Securities Numbers Accounting 46

PYMNTS

JULY 27, 2016

The search for inflation hedges and stability of purchasing power in a world of hyperinflation has led some in Venezuela to turn to the digital currency known as bitcoin. The state of “economic emergency,” as it has been termed by some observers and officially by President Nicolás Maduro, is so acute that the International Monetary Fund has estimated that the inflation rate could be as high as 480 percent this year and grow to as much as 1,640 percent next year.

Currencies 46

Currencies Economics Banking 46

PYMNTS

JULY 4, 2016

Ridesharing firm Lyft has been getting ready to capitalize on investor desire to delve into transports and has been exploring raising additional funding or even selling itself to outside interests, Reuters has reported. The newswire said that the firm has been working with investment bank Qatalyst Partners, which is based in Silicon Valley. Reuters cited unnamed people familiar with the dialogue.

Transportation 45

Transportation Sales Investments Banking 45

Speaker: David Warren and Kevin O’Neill Stoll

Transitioning to a usage-based business model offers powerful growth opportunities but comes with unique challenges. How do you validate strategies, reduce risks, and ensure alignment with customer value? Join us for a deep dive into designing effective pilots that test the waters and drive success in usage-based revenue. Discover how to develop a pilot that captures real customer feedback, aligns internal teams with usage metrics, and rethinks sales incentives to prioritize lasting customer eng

Sales

PYMNTS

JULY 29, 2016

Anonymous is the name of bitcoin’s game. But Europe might like to make it less so. T he European Commission would like to create a central database of digital currency users to prevent terrorist financing and money laundering – for the obvious reasons. The regulators there would like to establish a central database by June 2019 whereby, “obliged entities need to collect, process and record personal data, and sometimes to share such data with public authorities (such as FIUs) or with private

Currencies 45

Currencies Banking Finance Economics 45

PYMNTS

JULY 11, 2016

Earlier this year, Visa announced the start of its second annual Everywhere Initiative , where startups go head-to-head to imagine the future of commerce. Three real-life business challenges gave 15 competing companies the chance to flex their commerce chops. Participants could use Visa’s APIs to create a payment solution, leverage social media channels to engage people at Visa-sponsored events or persuade Visa cardholders to go cardless.

Startups 45

Startups Prioritization Retail Advertising 45

PYMNTS

JULY 27, 2016

The three largest banks in Australia – National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Banking Corp – have partnered up to lodge an anti-trust application with regulators in an attempt to collectively negotiate with Apple over whether or not their own in-house electronic payments apps can be set up to run properly on an iPhone.

Banking 44

Banking Technology 44

PYMNTS

JULY 8, 2016

It was only a decade or two ago that you’d be laughed out of the room for suggesting someone buy clothes or shoes online without trying them on first. Now that that barrier has fallen, though, might there be opportunities to sell more traditional products in nontraditional spaces ? Dawn Dickson thinks so, and she had something of a proof of concept in Flat Out of Heels , her company that sells rollable flats out of vending machines aimed at the female consumer who can’t spend another

eCommerce 44

eCommerce Sales Retail Planning 44

Speaker: Mark Stovel

When it comes to automating, many firms focus on finding the latest tech, believing that efficiency is something achieved through new tools. Yet true efficiency is achieved by delivering real value to clients, not merely by upgraded systems. Without a clear approach, no level of automation can overcome the complexities of serving every client’s needs.

Marketing